


The Care of Steve Rogers

by Mimsys



Series: On a Pedestal [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Kink, Praise Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 15:56:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2627546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimsys/pseuds/Mimsys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers have been good about indulging Steve's praise kink; now, Natasha gives Sam a crash course on how to handle Steve.<br/>Set during CA: TWS.<br/>-<br/>Can be read without reading the first part of the series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Care of Steve Rogers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kehinki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kehinki/gifts).



> Written to follow Praise but can stand alone. I don't own anything Marvel related; there'd be more representation if I did.  
> Gifted to Kehinki becuase I wrote Praise based off of one of their tumblr posts.

Sam wasn’t sure what was going on with his life anymore; he’d just fed two superheroes and all but promised to aid them on their borderline suicidal mission to face the Winter Soldier and HYDRA. Steve had crashed shortly after, having spent too long running on fumes, and was now curled up on a broken down couch that Sam seriously doubted could bear the super soldier’s weight for long; Natasha perched beside the blond and even moved his head gently into her lap once she’d gotten comfortable, carding one hand soothingly through Steve’s hair as she briefed Sam on the mission parameters. After a rather exhaustive discussion on the subject, the vet couldn’t help but ask how the Captain was doing. “He looks a little worn out, even for him.”

Natasha was too in control of appearance to flinch but her usually piercing gaze softened, turning mournful, “Nothing the Serum can do for this.” She murmured gently, hand in Steve’s hair stilling. “You work for VA, right? You should be used to broken soldiers.” There’s self-deprecation in her tone, as if she thought it was her duty to protect Steve from HYDRA and she’d failed; the scarlet haired agent began to rub the pad of her thumb against the super soldier’s scalp, a reassuring gesture she’d gotten in the habit of since she’d found out about the other’s… predilections.

“I know he’s run down physically, but he’s superhuman – quite literally – and I know he can pull through that. But is he _alright_? As you said, I work with the VA, and I know a _breaking_ soldier when I see one.”

The woman gave him an assessing look, nodding sharply a moment later. “I think I approve of you, Sam. Which is good for you because I’m less likely to have to kill you and good for me because Steve would kill _me_ if I had to do so.” 

She didn’t seem ruffled at giving the threat, although it caused Sam to turn startled eyes to her. Natasha was intense, a fact he’d allowed himself to forget simply because she had a lapful of sleeping super soldier. Speaking of… “Are you two together?” He asked, not that it was really any of his business, glancing down at Steve as if there was any question who he meant. 

Natasha snorted, “Hardly. He’s a friend, a good one, and it’s been a while since I’ve had one of those.”

“Is that all?” Sam asked, quirking an eyebrow, and earned a low chuckle from the woman.

“It’s more than enough for me.” She shifted closer to Steve, adjusting his position so that his cheek rested more comfortably on her thigh, and cupped the back of his neck, fingertips rasping over his skin. It looked like it should be intimate, something shared between lovers, and there’s consideration and affection in her eyes, but at the same time it looks like a familial gesture more than anything else.

“He left the whole world behind, even the Avengers, but he kept you by his side.” Sam noted, relaxing back against the couch with a one shouldered shrug, “Friendship, romance, or whatever else it is… you’re lucky to have a guy like that fighting beside you.”

“Beside you, too.” Came her reply, tone considering as she gave Sam a crooked grin, “He picked you, Wilson, and there’s no getting rid of him now.” She leaned forward slightly and Sam felt vaguely threatened by the gesture, “So I think it’s about time you got a crash course on how to handle Steve Rogers.”

“I should think Captain America can take care of himself.” Sam protested, although he’d already seen how much trouble the man could get himself in to.

“Well you’d be wrong.” Natasha’s reply was clipped but there was a hint of a smile twisting her lips as she began: “Keep him warm, if you can. He hates the cold, shuts himself off, goes into what Clint and Tony call “soldier mode”. He doesn’t even give orders except to keep us safe, mostly just plows ahead and throws himself into the fight even if he kills him. I think it reminds him of his time in the ice, but I can’t be sure because he refuses to talk about it.”

Sam stood to fetch a heating pad from his closet, plugging it in and placing the pad against the small of Steve’s back, tucking it around the man gently. “I’d noticed that, actually, when we ran.” There’s a sad sort of smile on his lips, fond and sorry in equal measures, “I never made the connection, though.”

Natasha nodded her thanks but didn’t reply, adjusting the placement of the pad with delicate fingers and a critical glance, although Sam couldn’t see much difference. “You have to make sure he eats enough. When he’s on a mission, he tends to forget that he has to eat significantly more than a normal human to fuel his metabolism, even when he isn’t moving the whole day.”

“You’re making Steve sound like a little kid who needs time set aside for naps and snacks.” He’s joking, but that certainly is what it seems like. “He’s an adult; he doesn’t need us to remind him to _eat_ , Natasha.”

Natasha continued on as if he hadn’t spoken, “And he has this thing about praise. It’s not that he gets off on it in a sexual sense; it’s not that at all. But sometimes he just _needs_ it. It makes him feel safe, and he doesn’t have a lot that does.”

\--

When Sam’s waiting for Steve to wake up (please wake up, Cap, please) and cursing the Winter Soldier in every way imaginable, he thinks back on Natasha’s lesson. It wasn’t that long ago, but it was a lifetime ago, and he can’t help but wish Natasha weren’t too busy making up new covers to stop by and visit Steve more often. She stops by whenever she can and demands text updates from Sam every hour, but she soothes Steve in a way that Sam can’t, and he doesn’t know how.

He learns quickly.

When Steve thrashes in his sleep, Sam cups one hand behind the blond’s neck and presses the other against his chest to push him down, pin him in place and keep him still and bends down to whisper reassuringly in his ear: “You’re okay, you did great, Cap, alright? You’re going to be fine; you just need to rest.”

When Steve begins asking about Bucky, Sam knows he can’t lie, but he also knows the truth (that Bucky’s gone, Bucky hasn’t tried to check in on Steve, Bucky just left him to die) will crush him. So he tells Steve that he saved the world, brought down the HYDRA traitors in SHIELD, helped Bucky break his programming, helped Bucky escape HYRDA, that they won’t stop looking for him once Steve is healed, reminds him of all the good he’d done. It’s not enough, Sam knows, but it’ll have to be.

When Steve is shivering under too-thin hospital sheets because he’s still weak from his injuries, Sam crawls into bed next to him and pulls him close, spooning the solider close to his chest and whispering reassurances in his ear. The nurses look at them oddly after and Sam doesn’t even bother telling them that it’s not what they’re thinking. It doesn’t matter what they think. All that matters is Steve.


End file.
